NITI Aayog vice chairman visits Siachen, world’s highest battlefield
Srinagar, Aug 29 (IANS) NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Ashok K. Lahiri visited the Siachen glacier base camp along with his team, said the country’s apex think-tank on Saturday.
In a post on X today, NITI Aayog said, “Dr. Ashok K. Lahiri, Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog, along with his team, visited Siachen Base Camp and undertook an aerial reconnaissance of the Northern Glacier, witnessing the extreme terrain and conditions in which Indian Army troops steadfastly guard the nation’s frontiers.
“He was briefed by the Commander Siachen Brigade, visited the Rockcraft Training School and paid homage at the Siachen War Memorial.
The visit by Niti Aayog’s Vice-Chairman on the world’s harshest battlefield goes to reflect the courage, sacrifice and resilience of the Indian Army in securing the nation’s frontiers.
“At Headquarters Fire and Fury Corps, Dr Lahiri was briefed by Lt Gen Madanraj Pande, GOC Fire and Fury Corps, on operational and developmental aspects of Ladakh, including modernisation, logistics, infrastructure, connectivity and social outreach,” it said in a statement.
The Siachen Glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan ends, is the World’s highest active battlefield situated at an altitude of 5,753 metres.
It is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the World’s non-polar areas. The entire Siachen Glacier, with all major passes, has been under the administration of India as part of the union territory of Ladakh since 1984.
Pakistan controls the west region of Saltoro Ridge, lying west of the glacier with Pakistani posts located 1 km below more than 100 Indian posts on the ridge.
Indian army came to control Siachen glacier through ‘Operation Meghdoot‘, the codename used by the Indian Armed Forces, launched in 1984 to pre-empt Pakistan’s competing ‘Operation Ababeel‘ to take full control of the Siachen glacier in Ladakh, on the tri-junction of India-Pakistan-China border in the Himalayas.
–IANS
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